Attention Mac users: Drop whatever it is you’re doing and run Software Update, because OS X 10.6.2 has been released by Apple. Coming in at a rather large 499.9MB, the update contains a considerable amount of bug fixes with the most notable righting the big ol’ scary guest user bug that threatened to delete your precious data.  We’ve got the entire change log after the break, but let’s not kid one another; you’re gluttons for punishment and will install whatever updates your system tells you to.

General operating system fixes provided for:

• an issue that caused data to be deleted when using a guest account
• an issue that might cause your system to logout unexpectedly
• Spotlight search results not showing Exchange contacts
• the reliability of menu extras
• an issue in Dictionary when using Hebrew as the primary language
• shutter-click sound effect when taking a screenshot
• an issue with the four-finger swipe gesture
• an issue adding images to contacts in Address Book
• an issue in Front Row that could cause sluggish or slow frame rates while watching videos
• creation of mobile accounts for Active Directory users
• reliability and duration of VPN connections
• general reliability improvements for iWork, iLife, Aperture, Final Cut Studio, MobileMe, and iDisk
• overall improvements to VoiceOver performance
• this update addresses video playback and performance issues for iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2009) and iMac (27-inch, Late 2009) computers that may occur in some situations while AirPort is turned on

Fonts fixes provided for:

• an issue with font spacing
• an issue in which some Fonts are missing
• font duplication issues
• an issue with some PostScript Type 1 fonts not working properly

Graphics fixes provided for:

• an issue when connecting monitors to DVI and Mini DisplayPort adapters
• an issue in which the brightness setting may not be remembered on restart
• addresses functionality with specific display models
• general reliability and performance improvements when using some applications

Mail fixes provided for:

• a situation in which Mail’s unread count may not update properly as messages are read on another computer
• an issue in which deleted RSS feeds may return
• an issue in which Mail cannot preview or Quick Look attachments when composing a new message
• an issue that can cause Address Book and/or Mail to stop responding when opened
• an issue in which email messages received from an Exchange Server are not formatted correctly
• an issue in which Mail reports “Account exceeded bandwidth limits” for some Gmail accounts

MobileMe fixes provided for:

• performance when accessing files from iDisk via the Finder and syncing iDisk files
• an issue in which syncing iDisk files does not proceed beyond “checking items”
• reliability and performance when syncing contacts, calendars, and bookmarks with MobileMe (syncing with iTunes and iSync are also improved)
• an issue that prevents some users from logging into MobileMe via the MobileMe System Preference pane

Network file systems fixes provided for:

• compatibility with third-party AFP servers
• file synchronization for portable home directories

Printing and faxing fixes provided for:

• automatic printer updates improvements
• Print dialog allowing you to enter and send to more than one fax recipient

Safari fixes provided for:

• a graphics distortion issue in Safari Top Sites
• Safari plug-in reliability

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Windows Mobile fans take note — 30 new handsets powered by your mobile OS of choice will supposedly be debuting before you again sing a drunken version of Auld Lang Syne. Benjamin Tan, senior director of the GCR Mobile Team Unit at Microsoft China, let loose the rumor that an avalanche of new Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets from HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Acer, Toshiba, HP and more will be released in the waning months of 2009. Carriers who have jumped on board this Window Mobile bonanza include AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone, NTT DoCoMO, Softbank Mobile,  SKT, Telstra and Telus. Bottom line: no matter where you are located or what you prefer in a smartphone, there will apparently be a Windows Phone to suit your needs in 2009.

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Acer’s long awaited high-end Windows Mobile handset is rumored to finally be ready for launch on October 6th. Not coincidentally, this is the official roll out date of Windows Mobile 6.5 as you well know by now, and it looks like Acer wants in on the action just like everyone else. As a refresher, the F1 will feature a 3.8-inch WVGA display, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5 megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, GPS, FM Tuner, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s expected to debut for £295 ($482USD), making the F1 an extremely wallet-friendly option as far as full featured Windows Phones are concerned.

[Via PhoneArena]

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Acer’s upcoming handsets made their debut at Computex in Taiwan and well, we just don’t ever seem to get tired of seeing “Snapdragon” listed in a handset’s specs. The F1 is the top of the line model featuring a 3.8-inch WVGA display, the coveted 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 300MB available storage memory (ROM), 89MB available program memory (RAM), 5 megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, GPS, FM Tuner, 3.5mm headphone jack and Windows Mobile 6.5. The L1 and C1 are entry level smartphones with the L1 being a slider and the C1 a full touchscreen device. The L1 features a 2.8-inch 240×400 touchscreen display, a 5 way navigational button, 12 key numeric keypad and Windows Mobile 6.5. The C1 also features 2.8-inch 240×400 touchscreen with handwriting recognition, 528MHz processor, 2 megapixel fixed focus camera, microSD expansion, built-in stylus, and Windows Mobile 6.5. All three handsets are slated for release later this year. Hit the jump for some snapshots of the L1 and C1.

[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]

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There were rumors going around not long ago about more subsidized netbooks making their way over to AT&T. Well, it looks like AT&T is about to start offering the Acer Aspire One 10.1″ netbook complete with integrated AT&T 3G access via a partnership with Costco. Costco employees are currently being trained for the launch and according to the info we received, the preparation comes to a head on May 8th. As for the netbook itself, it will become availble beginning May 11th. We’re pretty sure the Acers will be available from both AT&T retail stores and Costco electronics kiosks, just like Radio Shack’s current AT&T netbook. No word yet on pricing but look for it to line up just above the 8.9″ model currently available from Radio Shack.

Acer jumped feet first into the mobile phone arena by debuting a handful of new Windows Mobile handsets at MWC 2009. At a launch event today, Acer and C2O Corporation officially launched eight of these handsets in the Singapore market. Available now are the dual-SIM DX900 ($530 USD), the dual-faced DX650 ($397 USD) and the compact X960 ($463 USD). Expected in May but not yet priced are the F900 and the M900, and then coming later in 2009 are the F1, L1 and C1. Hit the jump for specs on the five handsets launching initially.

DX900

• 2.8“ WVGA touch screen
• Samsung SC3 6400 533 MHz Processor
• 256 MB Flash ROM, 128 MB SDRAM
• Dual-SIM with SIM 1 supporting HSDPA / UMTS 2100/1900/850 MHz and quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, and SIM 2 supporting GSM tri-band 900/1800/1900
• 1.3 megapixel autofocus camera, VGA front camera
• Wi-Fi, BT 2.0+EDR, GPS
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Pocket PC Phone edition with Spb Mobile Shell v2.1

DX650

• Dual-Face design with touchscreen on one side and keypad on the other
• 2.8“ QVGA touch screen
• Samsung SC3 6410 533 MHz Processor
• 256 MB Flash ROM, 128 MB SDRAM
• 2 megapixel fixed focus camera
• GPS, Wi-Fi, BT 2.0+EDR
• Windows Mobile 6.1 with Spb Mobile Shell v2.1
• Standby time 150h / Talk time: 4h

X960

• Samsung SC3 6410 533 MHz Processor
• 256 MB Flash ROM, 128 MB SDRAM
• High speed HSPA connectivity
• 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera
• Wi-Fi, BT 2.0+EDR, GPS
• Windows Mobile 6.1, Outlook, Office, widget-based Acer Shell v2.0 UI

F900

• Samsung SC3 6410 533 MHz Processor
• 256 MB Flash ROM, 128 MB SDRAM
• 3.8″ WVGA touch screen
• GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• HSDPA/HSUPA: 2100/1900/850 Mhz
• 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera
• Wi-Fi, BT 2.0+EDR, GPS
• Windows Mobile 6.1, Outlook, Office, widget-based Acer Shell v2.0 UI

M900

• Physical QWERTY keyboard
• 3.8“ WVGA touch screen
• GSM/EDGE: Quad-band GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• HSDPA/HSUPA: 2100/1900/850 Mhz
• Fingerprint reader
• 5 megapixel auto-focus camera
• Wi-Fi, BT 2.0+EDR, GPS
• Windows Mobile 6.1, Outlook, Office, widget-based Acer Shell v2.0 UI

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Remember that sketch of Acer’s roadmap that made a brief appearance at CES? Two “secret” Android handsets were included on the crudely drawn sketch and it is quite possible that one of them may be arriving in September 2009. According to the Philippine Business Mirror newspaper, the touchscreen-enabled, Android-driven A1 will be one of four new handsets Acer is reportedly planning to launch in September 2009. Acer has already announced four handsets, the X960, F900, M900 and DX900, for release in the first half of 2009 and is rumored to be releasing four additional handsets, the F1, C1, L1 and E1, in the second half of 2009. It is quite possible that the A1 may be released alongside this latter group of phones.

[Via TalkAndroid]

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Two models in Acer’s recently announced line of smartphones may be hitting the shelves soon according to Vincent Chen, manager of product marketing at Acer’s Smart Handheld Business. The DX900 is expected to be released by the end of the month and will feature a 2.8“ VGA touchscreen, dual SIM slots, quad-band GSM and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA, 3.2 MP autofocus camera, GPS, WiFi, bluetooth 2.0 and Windows Mobile 6.1. The X960, expected early next month, lacks the dual SIM capability of the DX900 but is otherwise similarly spec’d. The higher end M900 and F900 which sport a more respectable 3.8″ WVGA touchscreen display are not expected until later in Q2 2009.

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It seems like everybody and their brother’s pet goldfish is jumping on the application store bandwagon these days. Google/Android, RIM, Microsoft, Samsung, Nokia and even Cydia have all announced online application stores for various mobile platforms. Acer may now be added to this ever-growing list as the company is reportedly considering adding an application store to its upcoming Windows Mobile handsets. Whether this comes to fruition remains to be seen as Acer is only at the “discussion” stage, trying to determine whether such an effort will be a viable asset to its phones. Regardless of Acer’s decision, Apple’s success with the App Store has propelled the on-device application marketplace light years forward and we can certainly count on more such announcements from a variety of sources in the near future.

[Via WMPoweruser]

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If you followed our coverage of MWC this past week, odds are you were just as unimpressed with Acer’s showing as we were. To recap quickly, the company announced a handful of Windows Mobile handsets that were decent efforts but offered nothing in the way of innovation or even differentiation. Touchscreens, Windows Mobile, a UI band-aid, etc. According to a report from PCMag however, our interest in Acer’s new gear may have just been kicked up a notch. What did the trick? A single word — “free”. The report quotes Aymar de Lencquesaing, President of Acer’s Smartphone Unit, as stating the company is working with AT&T and T-Mobile to offer its handsets for free on contract in the US.

While it remains true that none of Acer’s newly-unveiled handsets are smartphones we would actively seek out, the free element completely changes things. As US carrier interest in netbooks continues to increase, Acer plans to use its position in the netbook market as leverage to gain carrier adoption of its smartphones. Smooth. If Acer can indeed manage to pull it off and hock its smartphone wares in the US with no upfront cost, a whole new demographic would have access to fairly well-equipped smartphones – good news all around. Of course we would expect Acer’s Windows Mobile 6.1-powered Tempo line to be the only range of handsets that might come in for free any time soon, with choices from its C1, E1, F1 and L1 possibly being introduced further down the line as Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets begin to launch. Would any of you get reeled in by a Tempo with a $0 entry fee?

[Via Unwired View]

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In a scene right out of a spy movie, an MWC attendee asks an Acer representative about rumored Android handsets and in the blink of an eye, a notebook and a sketch of Acer’s product road map appears. The sketch reveals the presence of two “secret models” under the heading “Android”, not to mention four other not-yet-announced handsets that are slated for release in the second half of 2009. A quick snapshot of the handwritten document is snagged and the attendee flees to share it with the world. No other details are revealed about these “secret” handsets but rest assured we will be on the lookout for them. Maybe – just maybe – they’ll be a bit more current and relevant than, say, these. Hit the jump for a shot of the sketch book.

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Have you found yourself itching lately for a brand new Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone with a familiar form factor and specs that are a good 18 – 24 months old? No? That’s odd, because Acer seems to think handsets in the aforementioned vein will be just what the doctor ordered as it battles to become relevant in the smartphone game. Sure the new Tempo line announced today by Acer looks to be a quartet of sleek and sexy handsets, but in this day and age we’re looking for much, much more bang for our buck. Hit the jump for specs on the newly unveiled X960, F900, M900 and DX900, pictured above starting clockwise from the top left corner, and let us know if Acer won your hard-earned cash with its MWC announcement.

X960
• Pre-installed GPS software
(Navigon try-and-buy, for Europe market)
• 2.8″ VGA touch screen
• High speed HSPA connectivity
• New easy-to-use virtual keyboard
• Access directly to key applications
via widget-based home screen
•3.2MP Auto-focused camera

F900
• Pre-installed GPS software
(Navigon try-and-buy, for Europe market)
• 2.8″ VGA touch screen
• High speed HSPA connectivity
• New easy-to-use virtual keyboard
• Access directly to key applications
via widget-based home screen
•3.2MP Auto-focused camera

M900
• Physical Qwerty keyboard
• 3.8“ WVGA touch screen
• Fingerprint reader
• 5 Megapixel autofocus camera
• HSPA, WiFi, BT
• Windows Mobile 6.1, Outlook, Office

DX900
• Physical Qwerty keyboard
• 3.8“ WVGA touch screen
• Fingerprint reader
• 5 MP autofocus camera
• HSPA, WiFi, BT
• Windows Mobile 6.1, Outlook, Office
• Standby time 160h / Talk time: 5h

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So, here’s the deal… One of our infamous ninjas just sent us a shot of an unreleased and unseen Acer handset. They told us it would be announced by Acer at MWC in a couple weeks, and that it is “pretty awkward.” We agreed. For one, it has a swivel keypad as evidenced by the photo they sent, it also has a touch screen but our ninja wasn’t sure if it ran Windows Mobile or Android. No hard specs, but we’d imagine a nice CPU, decent camera, 3G, GPS, and the like. Oh, and one more thing: they also said Acer had an iPhone competitor that… looked like an iPhone. Hard to imagine, right? Larger shot is after the breakage!

Thanks, Daddy G.!